“How to Get Busy Living” Program Features Stupid Cancer CEO Matthew Zachary and John Theurer Cancer Center Chairman Dr. Andre Goy January 16, 2013 (Hackensack, NJ) – The Northern New Jersey Chapter of Stupid Cancer will host its first young adult cancer support workshop titled “What’s Next? How to Get Busy Living!” This free conference will be held on Saturday, February 9 from 9:30am-3:00pm at John Theurer Cancer Center at HackensackUMC.

“This is a unique opportunity for young adults affected by cancer - and their caregivers - to meaningfully connect with their peers,” said Matthew Zachary, a 17-year brain cancer survivor and Founder and CEO of Stupid Cancer. “It is more important than ever to ensure those affected are given every opportunity to get busy living.” Young adults are a largely unknown and underrepresented group in the war on cancer, accounting for 72,000 new diagnoses each year.1 The conference will feature Matthew Zachary and Andre Goy, M.D., Chairman and Chief of Lymphoma at John Theurer Cancer Center.
“Young adults with cancer are dealing with a unique set of obstacles,” said Dr. Goy. “We want to help make cancer less disruptive for this community by providing education and networking opportunities to help them maximize the resources available to them.” Other speakers include youth psychotherapist Julie Larson, LCSW, a member of the LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance Steering Committee and former Director of Young Adult Programming at CancerCare and as well as Robin McConnell, MS, RD, CSO, dietitian at John Theurer Cancer Center. Networking and a survivorship panel moderated by Matthew and will follow the presentations. Topics discussed will include the nutrition, advocacy, awareness, peer support and social change for the young adult survivorship movement.
“John Theurer Cancer Center is pleased to host this educational event to help bring together our local young adult cancer population,” said Andrew Pecora, M.D., F.A.C.P., C.P.E., chief innovation officer, professor and vice president of cancer services, John Theurer Cancer Center and president of Regional Cancer Care Associates. “We will continue to support their unique hurdles, including survivorship, fertility preservation, relationships, and the need for additional research for better outcomes.” This is a free event sponsored by John Theurer Cancer Center at HackensackUMC and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society New Jersey Chapter. It will be held at John Theurer Cancer Center, 92 Second Street, Hackensack, NJ in the first floor conference room. This event is free, but registration is required. For information and to register visit http://www.jtcancercenter.org/stupidcancernnj.
1 http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/072611/page2 About Stupid Cancer Stupid Cancer is a non-profit organization that empowers young adults affected by cancer through innovative and award-winning programs and services. As the nation's largest support community for this underserved population, we serve as a bullhorn for the young adult cancer movement. Our charter is to ensure that no one goes unaware of the age-appropriate support resources they are entitled to so they can get busy living. More at http://stupidcancer.org. About Stupid Cancer Northern New Jersey Stupid Cancer Northern New Jersey is a local chapter of Stupid Cancer centered in Bergen County. SCNNJ fulfill the mission of Stupid Cancer through collaborative partnerships with five local nonprofit organizations: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society - New Jersey Chapter, Young Survival Coalition of Northern New Jersey, Gilda’s Club Northern New Jersey, The Valley Hospital’s Blumenthal Cancer Center, and John Theurer Cancer Center at HackensackUMC.